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Gerald

Alberton (just outside Johannesburg, South Africa) has been my home for 38 years. Mariette is my wife of 7 years and we have a gorgeous 19-month-old girl, Jayme. Let's not ignore the English Bulldog (Maya) and Boston Terrier (Chino). I work in the hygiene & cleaning industry with an active drive to go green. Besides spending time with my family, I also enjoy mountain biking.

Badges

South Africa Participants

Your Points Percentile:

100th

Total Country Participants:

7

At Home(83%)

Changed thermostat

Changed settings on refrigerator, freezer, water heater and washer

Replaced at least one third of light bulbs with CFLs or LEDs

Disconnected electronic devices when not in use

Wild Card Items

Eliminated second freezer or refrigerator

Insulated water heater

Replaced appliances with green-certified products

Hung clothes up to dry instead of using the dryer

Sealed all of the windows and doors

My own action: Installed timer to regulate geyser operating times

Food(72%)

Ate a vegetarian diet one day a week

Cut down on take-away meals

Limited daily intake of beef to 8 ounces

Switched to sustainable seafood

Wild Card Items

Started a food-based garden

Ate vegan or raw for a certain number of days per week

Bought grass-fed beef instead of conventional

Gave up at least one processed food

Transportation(55%)

Drove no faster than the posted the speed limit, avoided rapid acceleration or braking

So the energy diet is nearing the end, and in the 8 weeks I’ve managed to complete a number of tasks showing that I can make a difference and reduce my energy usage and more importantly, wastage. The initial score at the start of the diet was 235 points and that has now moved up…

To non-South Africans, “Local is Lekker” is a common phrase meaning the things close to home are often the best. Lekker (adjective) actually means delicious, but is also used to describe something as nice, cool, awesome and many more similar descriptions. The best sounding English word that sounds like lekker is lacquer (as in lacquer…

Water, probably the most precious resource known to man and something we cannot live without for many days, yet one of the most wasted. Xeriscaping, according to Wikipedia, refers to landscaping and gardening in ways that reduce or eliminate the need for supplemental water from irrigation. I never knew that word existed until I…

Waste Disposal and Reduction was officially the area that I’ve scored the least in when I started this diet. Waste Disposal for many South Africans is as simple as putting it all in one wheelie bin and let the municipal rubbish removal service take care of the rest. Why would I want to separate the…

Transportation At the start of my 360° Energy Diet, this was my second highest scoring category, yet it could be the lowest score at the end of the diet due mainly to restrictions in a public transport system in Gauteng, at least in the area that I live in. I own a Toyota Verso 1.6S,…

Food Just the thought of food and my mouth starts to water. I cannot think of anything else in this world that is as diverse as food, even though there are essentially only eight different food groups (dairy, fats & oils, fruit, grains or carbohydrates, meat or protein, sweets, vegetables and water). It’s the way…

Just as I started the 360° Energy Diet last week, a heat wave hits us for 4 days. Johannesburg experienced its hottest recorded temperatures, ever, for the month of October – 33.4°C (92.1°F). While it’s great for a tan, it’s not great for energy bills as our air conditioner was used for 2-3 hours every…

My name is Gerald, Mariëtte is my loving wife and Jayme is our precious little angel (daughter), who is quickly approaching 20 months of age. Rounding out the family are our two dogs, Maya (English bulldog) and Chino (Boston terrier). I’m the supply chain manager at a company providing hygiene, deep clean & pest control…

Join the 360º Energy Diet

About the 360º Energy Diet

Households around the world have gone on a life-changing mission to lower their carbon footprints. Our bloggers shared their experiences as they made lifestyle changes both large and small. You can join too: Register at the link above and track your results.

Round 1 Successes

Round 2 Successes

Your Energy Diet Calendar

Starting a diet can be daunting. Will you feel deprived? Can you stick to all the changes you make? If the whole 360º Energy Diet seems daunting to you, try taking things month-by-month with this calendar.